Ukraine returns bodies of 64 more fallen soldiers from Russian captivity

On Friday, Ukraine returned the bodies of its fallen soldiers from Russian captivity. 

Ukraine's Coordination Headquarters for the Treatment of Prisoners of War announced that 64 servicemen were brought home as part of a prisoner exchange, Rubryka reports.

According to the department's statement, the bodies are now in the territory under the control of the Ukrainian government after the repatriation measures.

In turn, under the norms of International Humanitarian Law, Ukraine handed over the bodies of Russian combatants killed at the front.

The statement stressed that Ukraine continued taking all possible legal measures within the norms of International Humanitarian Law to verify the whereabouts of Ukrainian soldiers who went missing or were captured during the war to return them to the Ukraine-controlled territory.

Return of bodies of fallen soldiers

Russia and Ukraine regularly exchange the bodies of soldiers since the beginning of the invasion. The last exchange was on September 15. Then Ukraine returned the bodies of 51 soldiers.

Before that, an exchange took place in early August when Ukraine returned the bodies of 44 fallen soldiers.

The head of the coordination headquarters, Yurii Taraniuk, reported that Russia handed over to Ukraine the bodies of fighters who were officially recognized as prisoners, while Ukraine received no reports that these soldiers' health had deteriorated before their deaths in the Russian captivity. This called into question the quality of work or the existence of a medical commission in Russia to maintain the health of Ukrainian prisoners of war.

Ukraine also initiated mixed medical commissions supported by the Geneva Convention on the Treatment of Prisoners of War. This solution is designed to help exchange prisoners with Russia faster.